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At 0500 hours, I woke up, took a quick shower. I had a long drive ahead. The inn did not offer any breakfast option so I settle for a biscuit and bottled water. I thought of just grabbing a breakfast along the road – Butuan City probably.

At 0610 hours, I was on the road. It was still raining. I read that this is due to a low pressure area (LPA) in Butuan City. Just my luck. The road is wet so I had to limit my speed to 80kph.

After 2 hours, I reached Bayugan City. I already drove past Butuan City. Getting a bit uncomfortable driving, I opted to grab a proper breakfast as soon as I saw an eatery. The small eatery was in the middle of the city and noticed a lot of people gathering. The city was celebrating Sinulog Festival. So I have to eat my breakfast quick to beat the traffic. At least the rain stopped.

After around 15mins, I’m back on the road. I had to drive my way around people on the road. I saw a lot of kids on their costumes. I reckon they’ll be dancing in the next few hours. I remember there was a time when I enjoyed watching this type of festivals. But today, I still have more than 6 hours to drive.

The next 3 hours was driving. I stopped a couple of times to stretch. I also stopped at Montevista to grab some snack – a couple of bread and bottled water. I checked my phone. My brother texted that his already in Tagum City – an hour and half drive away from Davao City. He texted me the previous night that he will meet me on the road from Davao City. They – I reckon that he was with his girlfriend – stopped at Jolibee to grab something to eat. It was around noon. I settled with a snack.

After a few minutes, I’m back on the road. I reached Tagum City and meet up with my brother – and his girlfriend. After a few hi and hellos we’re back on the road now to Davao City. Last leg of my travel. It was an hour and a half drive. We reached the main checkpoint of Davao City.

It was a crowded traffic but manageable. I reminded myself of speed limit though. We went to my siblings’ apartment to dropped my luggage. After which, we went to SM Ecoland to grab something to eat. It was already past 1440 hours and I started to feel hunger. We messaged my other siblings – two older sisters – to meet us up at SM.

It was a reunion of some sort. We ate, then watched a movie at the cinema after. It was already past 2000 hours when the movie ended. I asked my brother to guide me to a local inn I can stay for the night. I said goodbyes to my other siblings.

I settled in at Las Casitas Inn. It was a small in with just basic amenities but at least it has a hot shower.

It was an exhausting day but fun. Tomorrow would be a work day and I already picked a good place – co-working – to work. At last, Philippines is catching up with setting up co-working spaces.

Started 0600 hours, cooked a fat-boosted breakfast. I know it will be a long day so energy is a must. I prepared my personal computer for my move. These include disconnecting the main hard drive and creating a user for the family to use. I purchased an ultrabook for the move.

Next is to set up the luggage on my motorcycle. It was an easy task, I’ve practiced a couple of times weeks before.

After everything is in place, I took a bath, then ate my fat-boosted omelet. I paired it with bulletproof coffee – dark coffee with salted butter. Yeah, more fats.

Then came saying goodbyes. Again, an easy task. I’ve been planning this move since March 2017.

It was then a one-and-a-half hour long drive to Liloan Ferry Terminal. It was 1040 hours. Fortunately, the weather was fair.

Paying and processing the ticket was a bit troublesome. I have to move back and forth between port booking and ticket office. Why would they put these two offices far apart? After 30 minutes, I was on board FastCat bound to Lipata Ferry Terminal, Surigao del Sur. It was the first time to aboard FastCat and I’m very impressed with how big it was.

It was 1210 hours when the ferry starts its journey. The 2 and a half hour journey was extended. The weather worsen when we neared Lipata. For safety, the crew decided to delay docking for more than an hour. It was a long wait. I had planned to reach Butuan City or Bayugan City before nightfall. I am fully aware that it was now impossible to reach those cities. They were 2 and 3 hours drive, respectively.

To make it worse, it started raining when we finally docked at around 1700 hours. I can travel pretty well even if the rain was pouring, I prepared a waterproof clothing for this travel. I only had an hour before nightfall. And with the rain, it’s less than an hour.

As soon as driving became troublesome, I started looking for inn or lodging. It was now raining dogs and cats. At 1830 hours, I found Tejada Inn along Bad-as, Placer, Surigao. With a decent rate – 600 for 12 hours – I settled in. The luggage and clothing were dry but my shoes is another story.

I checked Google Maps and found that it’s 7 more hours to Davao City. Tomorrow will be another story. Hopefully, the weather would be better.

It was a sunny day.

It was boarding time for my flight. I hate travelling but not specifically flying. I had a busy day but not a bad one.

I had my ticket in my hand while I aimlessly walked towards the plane. I was surprised when suddenly a guy asked me.

“What’s your number?” he asked while pointing to my hand. I was surprised. I looked at my ticket.

“11A,” I was hesitant but answered anyway.

“I mean your phone number,” he smiled. I was confused about how to react.

“Sorry, I’m just joking,” he continued. “I’m not sure why I said those. I’m an introvert and would have had a hard time starting a conversation with strangers. But somehow the words came out easily when I saw you.” I can see that he was speaking truthfully.

“That’s alright,” I smiled back. I’m not sure why but I feel comfortable with this guy. We started talking and I enjoyed it.

I haven’t had a good conversation for a while. So when he asked if he can sit beside me on the plane, I agreed. He ends up asking another passenger to switch seats with him. We continued our conversation during the flight.

Upon arrival, we went to a local park and had a good laugh. On that moment, I felt something that I haven’t felt for a long time. I silently thought, “This must be…”

Then, I opened my eyes and woke up. There I was, sleeping in my bed. I was a bit disappointed to see my boyfriend sleeping on my side.

“10:14,” the clock read. “Who was that?” thinking about the man on my dream. Back to reality.

It was a sunny day. I did not remember the date or what day it was. I was walking towards a plane. I guess I’m travelling somewhere. Along the way, I noticed a lady walking beside me. A ticket in her hand. “So we’re on the same flight”, I said to myself.

While we’re walking, I feel a warmth which I can’t explain. “What’s your number?,” I awkwardly asked her while pointing towards her hand. She was surprised. I can see it in the way her face reacted. She looked at her ticket.

“11A,” she hesitantly replied.

“I mean your phone number,” I smiled. I was surprised at how easy I say the line. She was confused and there was a moment of silence.

“Sorry, I’m just joking,” I assured her. “I’m not sure why I said those,” I continued. “I’m an introvert and would have had a hard time starting a conversation with strangers. But somehow the words came out easily when I saw you.” This is true. I, normally, don’t start conversations with strangers.

“That’s alright,” she said with a smile. I was relieved and smiled back. We talked. I can see that she enjoyed our conversation so I asked if I could sit near her. She agreed so I end up asking another passenger to switch seats with me. Luckily, it went well. So we talked pretty much the whole flight.

Upon arrival, we went to a local park and had a good laugh. On that moment, I felt something that I haven’t felt for a long time. I silently thought, “This must be…”

Then, I opened my eyes and woke up. There I was, sleeping on the floor of my room. “10:14,” the phone read. “Who was that girl,” I thought. “But importantly, I’m late for work.” Back to reality. A reality where love is for the living.